Pioneers Win Turnover Battle Over Ravens, 28-17

The 13th-ranked Pioneers (5-2, 5-1 HAAC) stayed one game behind league-leading Missouri Valley with three games to play while the Ravens (5-3, 3-3 HAAC), ranked #16 this week, lost for the third time in four games.

The teams traded 14-point quarters in the opening 30 minutes with turnovers allowing Benedictine to climb out of an early hole. MNU claimed a 14-0 lead with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns as Sean Ransburg hit LaDon Hudson on a 4-yard TD pass before Greg Gates scored from a yard out.

The Ravens matched their rivals as they turned a pair of turnovers directly into touchdowns. Ransburg was intercepted by Dylan Meisenheimer at the Pioneers' 47-yard line and Cameron Fore capped off a 8-play drive with a 3-yard TD run.

The second turnover came as Greg Gates fumbled and the loose ball was recovered by the Ravens' Villi Nomoa. Two plays later, Fore scored again, this time from eight yards out, and the teams went to the break back on even terms.

A short return on the opening kickoff pinned the Pioneers inside their own 10-yard line to start the 3rd quarter, but one play removed any momentum the Ravens had hoped to carry over. Ransburg went left on a keeper and ran 74 yards to the Benedictine 18. He finished off a two-play drive with a 18-yard run and put MNU back on top.

Benedictine answered with a 31-yard field goal by Zack Keenan on the next possession, but was thwarted in the red zone after a promising drive. The Ravens forced a punt on the next possession and finished off the third quarter driving deep into MNU territory.

The Ravens had a pair of chances to score a go-ahead touchdown, but Bill Noonan was unable to connect with Tim Reek and Brad Lorang on back-to-back throws. After connecting earlier in the half, Keenan hooked a 24-yard field goal to allow the Pioneers to keep a 21-17 lead.

Neither offense found any success in the fourth quarter as five-straight possession between the two teams ended in a punt. The Ravens took over at their own 30-yard line with 3:09 to play, but Noonan was picked off for the third time in the game, this time by Kyle Cobb at the MNU 48.

The Pioneers moved the ball deep into the Benedictine territory, running down most of the clock before Ransburg was ruled to have fumbled the ball out of the end zone on a 4th down play from the Benedictine 1.

With 44 seconds to play, the Ravens still had hope of finding a late touchdown. Following an incompletion, however, Noonan was stripped by Donte Wade, who scooped up the ball at the Ravens' 29-yard line and went the distance to put the game away.

Ransburg was 12-of-27 for 104 yards with one touchdowns and one interception while rushing 13 times for a game-high 123 yards and a TD. Gates added 117 yards on 27 carries for MNU, which had 243 total rushing yards for the game.

Fore led the Ravens with 17 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns while Jerrin Walton carried eight times for 54 yards. Noonan was 13-of-23 for 112 yards with three interceptions. Fore also led the receiving corps with four catches.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Tommy Meyer scored on the second play of the game to set 17th-ranked Evangel on its way to a 54-21 win over Avila on Saturday afternoon at JFK Stadium. Meyer raced 59 yards on the second play from scrimmage and finished the game with 151 yards on 15 carries while Otis Brown added 120 yards rushing and a touchdown. Andrew Brimhall was 14-of-25 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, leading Evangel (6-2, 5-1 HAAC) to a 48-7 halftime lead and a fourth-straight victory. Evangel also added a touchdown on special teams while Denzel Pernell returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown. Jesse Vaughn, the league's leading receiver, had five catches for 137 yards for an Evangel offense that finished the game with 517 total yards. Jacob Hicks finished 11-of-20 for 118 yards for Avila (3-4, 1-4 HAAC) while Harley Kreisman had 16 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown.

LAMONI, Iowa - Zavier Steward ran for four touchdowns, two of those in the first quarter, to lead No. 3-ranked Missouri Valley to a 39-7 victory over Graceland at Huntsman Field. Steward finished the game with 13 carries for 173 yards, his second-straight 100-yard performance. He opened the scoring with a 66-yard scoring run at the 12:30 mark of the first quarter and scored again on a four-yard scamper with 7:54 in the opening stanza. Bruce Reyes connected with Del'von Franklin on a 25-yard scoring pass midway through the third quarter before Fabian Miramontes hit a 40-yard field goal to wrap up the scoring for the Vikings, who host Peru State next week. Adam Goodvin hit Raysean Brown on a 20-yard scoring play to give Graceland (4-4, 3-3 HAAC) its only points of the game. Reyes finished 13-of-22 for 211 yards and a touchdown with one interception while also rushing three times for 21 yards. Chris Owens led all receivers with five catches for 93 yards.

PERU, Neb. - Peru State closed out its current run at the historic Oak Bowl with a convincing 40-23 win over Central Methodist on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Ludlow carried 25 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns while also catching a 53-yard touchdown pass as the Bobcats (4-4, 2-4 HAAC) jumped out to a 40-0 lead before Central Methodist (2-6, 2-5 HAAC) closed the deficit with a fourth-quarter rally. The Eagles claimed a 431-247 edge in total yards, but lost four fumbles and threw one interception to suffer its fourth-straight loss. Bo Shepard completed just two passes for Peru State, but one was to Ludlow for a touchdown that gave the Bobcats a 20-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Garret Campbell added a fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the second quarter for the Bobcats, who were led defensively by Zach Lempka with 10 tackles. Cody Maher led the Eagles with 83 rushing yards on nine carries while Skyler James was 6-of-12 passing for 115 yards.

CANTON, Mo. - Desmon Phillips scored on a 28-yard run with 59 seconds remaining to give Culver-Stockton its first win of the season, a 21-14 verdict over Lindenwood-Belleville in non-conference play at Poulton Stadium. The Wildcats (1-7) rallied for two touchdowns inside the final three minutes after the Lynx (4-4) had taken a 14-7 lead on a 2-yard TD run by Kameron Harris early in the third quarter. Stephon Watson capped off a 16-play, 75-yard drive with a 7-yard scoring pass from Jake Hoffman with 2:38 remaining to tie the game. The Wildcats forced a three-and-out and took advantage of a 18-yard punt to take over in LU-Belleville territory. A facemask penalty on the Lynx negated a fumble by Hoffman and Phillips went the distance on the next play for the go-ahead touchdown. Drew Bolhuis picked off Matthew Marler on the first play after the score and the Wildcats ran out all but the last five seconds. Phillips finished with 133 yards on 21 carries while Allen Overton was 14-of-21 for 175 yards and a TD for Culver-Stockton. Harris rushed 30 times for 236 yards for the Lynx, who were just 7-of-23 passing for 75 yards with two interceptions.